Get (Into) What You Paid For – Volume 5, No. 4: Day 30:

Yesterday, I posted my Top-50 Most-listened-to-by-me artists of the year. Today, I’ll follow that up with the same thing, but of the last four years. Five years, or ten years would be better but that data is unavailable. Anyway, here goes:

Naturally, there are some factors to consider. Firstly, the data only starts August 2010. Since then I’ve listened to over a million songs (or listened to songs over a million times, to be more specific). You and I both know however that the time you usually listen to anything the most is when its new or when you’ve just bought it. Therefor bands I’ve gotten into in 2010 or later are unfairly advantaged here. I know for a fact I’ve listened to easily four times that much Pantera, Kiss, Marilyn Manson and Jethro Tull.

Secondly, artists with longer songs are unfairly disadvantaged. I’ve listened to the same number of tracks by Dream Theater and Marilyn Manson here… but that means I’ve listened to Dream Theater for way more time since their songs are so long.

Thirdly, artists with bigger discographies are advantaged. Look how much Queen and Deep Purple I listened to, but those guys have like 20 albums each. You could listen to each of their songs only once and already be in the high triple-digits. Rishloo and Protest The Hero by contrast each only have four albums, so comparatively I’ve listened to those waaaaaay more.

Still; I find these lists very interesting. Sometimes it gets you to listen to things in a different way. This morning for example, I’ve been listening to Iron Maiden all morning because I want to push them over the “1,000” mark, so that I now have a 27th artist with over 1,000 plays. It also lets you see if you’re getting your money’s worth. You buy an album, you can check how much you’re listening to it, and how that compares to everything else. Its good for a supernerd like myself.

Empire? Empire is my most listened to Queensryche album and Mindcrime is less than DevilDriver’s Beast… how in the hell did that happen. I can’t even remember a single song off of Beast but Mindcrime is emblazoned on my soul note-for-note. Babyshambles new album is somehow higher than some of my absolute favourite albums ever? How did that happen? Surprises.

Silent Fucking Lucidity? How? Don’t get me wrong I love the tune for all its Roger Waters-esque charm, but I can’t remember the last time I even heard it. I feel like I listen to “Revolution Calling” and “NM 156” every bloody day and they’re nowhere near “Silent Lucidity.” “Goodnight, Fair Lady” higher than “Domino The Destitue” ? How in goodness’ name did that happen? Domio was the bloody single! I’m not even sure how “Goodnight, Fair Lady” goes off the top of my head!
“Scisorlips” feels like it should be a lot higher too.

Perception is a very strange thing. I remember (I’ve written this before) how the first time I heard Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes I thought it was a Nu Metal album similar to Spineshank and Ill Nino, when really its a brutal record closer to Chaos AD and heavier than Vulgar Display Of Power.

I remember the first year I owned Mastodon’s Leviathan I thought of it as an Extreme Metal album, I thought of it as a super heavy super abrasive album for Death Metal fans, but now, I don’t see it as all that different than the super accessible commercial cleans of newer Mastodon.

Then there’s misheard lyrics… sometimes you think a band are singing one thing and they aren’t. You think Hetfield says “and a fake apple pie” instead of “and the things that will bite” – the famous joke example, but real life is full of these misheard lyrics… just like when you see your socks on the floor out of the corner of your eye and think they’re a huge spider.

I’ve even heard drumbeats wrong. Most people think John Bonham is playing completely different beats than he really is. A lot of people can’t even figure out what the hell Vinny Paul is playing because his toms sound like kickdrums. Sometimes you listen to Korn and you mistake the bass guitar for the bass drum.

Different people concentrate on different bits of songs. I listen extra to the drums, you may listen extra to the bass, or the keyboards, or the guitars. Especially if you play that instrument. But viewing the song through each of those focuses, makes it sound different. As does listening to it on different EQ settings or different quality audio equipment, or concentrating vs distracted.

I bring all this up because, think of the cumulative effect. Two people could hear the exact same song and hear completely different songs within their mind.

We all listen to this music but are we even hearing what the band think we’re supposed to be hearing, or are we more or less making up our own records just loosely based on what the band are doing to their instruments?